The Tomb Raider (lara) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-12-21 18:30:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, bo dennis, lara croft |
Who: Lara Croft and Bo Dennis
What: An attempt at a date that gets snowed in
When: 12/15
Where: Somewhere
Status: Complete! Part 1 of 2 (we broke IJ again)
Rating: PG-13 for this part
“Shit...shit… Damn it Roth, get off of that!” She shood the cat off of her dress, then shook it off. “Well, I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’m going to be bloody doing it.” If they were going dancing after dinner, she needed to be appropriately dressed, and that dinner would be somewhat fancy too. The trick was finding a dress that looked good enough to impress Bo but didn’t draw the eye to her scars. But the one she liked best left her shoulders and neck bare.
She’d never admit it but there was a vain part of her that hated them. She applied some coverup to the ones on her shoulders, slipped on some nice silver shoes that matched her blue dress. Then she got into her Land Rover and headed out in the snow to pick Bo up, while trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. She’d decided to suggest they go dutch. She didn’t want Bo feeling like they weren’t on equal footing.
Bo was suddenly more than a little nervous. Was this a date? Dinner typically qualified as a date, didn’t it? And just when Bo had initially thought to say lunch, but dinner had slipped out instead. But she wanted to have dinner with Lara. And hold her to that promise of going dancing with her. And, well, she couldn’t pass up the chance of a snowball fight since the snow was sticking around.
However, just as she was nervous, it took her forever to decide on what to wear. She didn’t know where they were going to go eat, so she decided, after a very long time, on a simple black dress. The neckline was low, of course, because she liked accentuating her boobs. And she had very lovely shoulders. She went heavy on the black eye liner and mascara, but the rest of her make-up was light. She pulled half of her hair back to keep it out of her face when they got to dancing, and silver dangling earrings accentuated her ears. She slipped on silver shoes that wouldn’t completely kill her feet on the dance floor and proceeded to wait.
She didn’t exactly live in the best apartment complex, and the area of town wasn’t the best either. It could be a lot worse, but it definitely wasn’t the best either. Bo had her worries, and wondered if Lara was too far out of her league. Though time would tell on that front.
Romantic dates weren't something that Lara had all that much experience with. She knew dancing though, and even snowball fights (though often at her own expense). Her own make-up was fairly simple eyeshadow that emphasized her eyes and basic lipstick.
She pulled to a stop in front of Bo's apartment, looking around with some trepidation. She definitely didn't want to leave the Land Rover parked here overnight. At least it was properly dinged up from a recent off-road trip, so it wasn't entirely new and expensive looking since she hadn't bothered to repair it. It wasn't like it was a Rolls Royce.
She slipped out of the vehicle. She had a nice dress coat on over her outfit, but it wasn't quite enough against the cold. She knocked on the door and waited nervously.
Romantic dates weren’t exactly up Bo’s alley either. Of course she knew she’d like them, but she’d just never thought she’d experience one. Considering she’d long since adopted the entirely casual approach to relationships, even if most of Bo’s dalliances could be more accurately described as one night stands. Nevertheless, she’d try to make an impression, and she was determined to stay away from the alcohol tonight. Or at the very least no more than one drink.
Hearing the knock, Bo’s heart leapt into her throat for more than one reason. “Coming!” She called, then drew in a steadying breath as she pulled her coat on and went to open the door. She smiled warmly.
“Hello, Lara,” she greeted. If Lara happened to look behind Bo into her apartment, it was obvious the place was small. And she was still in a state of unpacking boxes, so there were several moving boxes stacked off to the side.
Well, Bo had moved recently so Lara thought nothing of it. The apartment seemed to be smaller than the one she'd shared with Sam back in London, but that was kind of expected. What she hadn't expected was her breath to catch on her throat. "Hi. Hello. Good afternoon, I mean." Bugger.
"You look really good. Are you ready?" Lara was suddenly glad she'd left her hair down instead of putting it up, it gave her an excuse to push it away from her face which kept her hand occupied. Bo looked so good, and Lara couldn't take it.
Bo definitely wasn’t going to tire of Lara’s accent at all. In fact, it made her all the more attractive to her. And, well, Bo did give her the once over, obviously admiring and approving of her appearance.
“So do you. And yes, I am.” After ensuring she had her keys, she stepped out and locked the door behind her. “So, where shall we go for dinner?” She glanced towards her yellow convertible parked a little ways away. Not for the first time she was glad she’d gotten the roof of it fixed before moving here. Otherwise her car would be a total loss at the moment.
Lara followed her gaze. It was a nice car and she gave it an approving nod. “I know a little restaurant that’s intimate and cozy, and near enough to where the clubs are that it wouldn’t be a far drive to get there. Do you want to take your car or mine?” She gestured at the Land Rover, and decided it would probably be okay here. For however long this went. She had kind of promised an actual fireplace for Bo, which in hindsight might imply other things that Lara chose to not think too hard about.
“Excellent, I do look forward to getting there.” She looked at the Land Rover when Lara gestured to it. Somehow she wasn’t completely surprised that Lara had a Land Rover. It was a good off-roading car, and knowing what Lara did for a living, she needed that sort of car. “Your car. I’d rather get to where we’re going for dinner as opposed to taking the scenic route.” She laughed. “One day I’ll know my way around here better.” As much as Bo was ware of what could accompany a fireplace and warming up, she wasn’t aiming for that outcome. If things took that path? Then fine. If they didn’t, that was also fine.
"Ah, good point." Lara offered Bo her arm. It seemed like the right thing to do, and honestly she wanted some of Bo's warmth. It was cold. "You'll figure it out eventually, Bo. It took me a few months to really get a feel for the place." Then the dreams had thrown her for a loop.
She led Bo to the Land Rover and opened the door for her. Bo could probably get in on her own, but Lara could at least get the door for her. What was she doing?
What am I doing Lara chewed her lip.
The offered arm was unexpected, but Bo accepted it, linking her arm through Lara’s with a smile. Seriously, this whole chivalrous streak that Lara had was going to be the end of her. There were butterflies in her stomach! Butterflies! “I’m sure I will. It’s just kind of daunting at first.” Of course, it was something Bo was used to given her frequent moving.
And then there were those damn butterflies again when Lara opened the car door for her. She honestly didn’t think she’d ever been treated like a lady in this way before. She liked it, but it was odd to her. “Thank you,” she said with a smile as she got in the Land Rover.
Chivalry, the accent, looks and brains, really Lara had the full package but would never admit it. She closed the door, then went around and climbed into the driver's seat. "Radio is yours, if you want it."
The engine rumbled to life, and Lara pulled out as it start to snow lightly. The restaurant was a several miles away and in a nicer part of town. "I was thinking we could go dutch? What do you think?"
Boy did Lara have the full package. It was difficult for Bo to keep a grip on herself. Of course the simple fact that she was attracted to Lara only made her mother’s voice echo louder in her head, calling her a whore and the devil’s daughter. She did her best to push those thoughts aside. While normally she ignored them by, well, being a whore for lack of a better description, Bo was going to try and be calm and in control of herself. Of course when given free reign of the radio, Bo navigated a few stations until she found one playing rock music and left it there.
“I would like that. So let’s go dutch.” She smiled. Yes, that was definitely good. It at least didn’t leave either of them feeling as though they weren’t on equal ground.
That had been Lara's plan. It also meant they could order whatever they were comfortable with ordering. It was still snowing lightly when they reached the restaraunt, and Lara looked at the sky. "It should lighten up, but I'm glad we took the Rover. It's got four-wheel drive."
She held the door for Bo, and a waitress led them to a table. They had a nice view of the street outside, but Lara's eyes were focused more on Bo. She was looking forward to the dancing, so decided to have something lighter. "Any luck on the job front?"
It definitely was best they took the Land Rover. This wasn’t the best weather for Bo to be driving her car in anyway. “Same here. Growing up in Canada, I know when to use four-wheel drive. And this is definitely the time for four-wheel drive.” Had she mentioned being from Canada? She didn’t think she’d told Lara that, but she could be confusing that with someone else she’d spoken to on that first post she’d made on the Valarnet. And inwardly was trying to keep herself focused that she didn’t let too many details of her past slip out at once.
Once at the table, she didn’t bother to glance out the window when she was more enthralled by and interested in Lara. “Actually yes. Tifa offered me a job at her bar, Seventh Heaven. So that’s definitely a plus. Hadn’t anticipated getting a job quite that quickly.”
"Been in Orange County long enough to come prepared." Lara nodded, and smirked. There were some supplies in the truck in case they got stuck, but she doubted that would happen. The Rover could practically climb mountains.
She didn't want to think about anything like that. Bo's eyes were more interesting, and so was the expanse of skin between her neck and chest and now that the jackets were off she was even more attracted.
"I'm glad to hear that. I've heard of that bar, been there a few times. It's pretty nice. I'm happy for you!"
“Good to know I’m in good hands in the event the weather gets out of hand.” Bo smirked in response. Not that she was hoping that would happen, because she’d really rather have to spend the night at Lara’s or some hotel if worse came to worse. She was rather convinced Lara wouldn’t want to have to spend the night at her place. For one thing, they’d have to share the bed, and for another, the apartment was kind of cramped for one person let alone two.
“Is that a hint that you’ll be frequenting the bar more now?” She chuckled, eyeing Lara. “But thank you! I am happy to be employed.”
“You’re in the very best hands,” Lara assured her. That could be taken dirty, but she didn’t actually realize that when she said it. “I don’t drink near enough to frequent any bar, but I could probably find an excuse to come see you.”
Which was something that surprised Lara and she cleared her throat. “Since you’re dragging me onto the dance floor I think a nice sandwhich will suffice for me.”
“I am glad for that,” she responded with a smile. And for once Bo didn’t make a dirty remark in response. She was going to try and not lay it on too thick, after all. Considering how easy it was to get Lara to blush when they’d gone for drinks, she felt it was best to not fluster her so early in the evening. “I certainly won’t mind seeing a familiar pretty face there. Besides, you could always just get food and not alcohol sometimes.”
Bo looked over the menu, trying to decide on what she would have. “Practical. Eating something heavy before exerting yourself on the dancefloor is definitely not a good idea.” Nor was consuming a bit too much alcohol. Bo had been there in both cases. It hadn’t been pretty. “I think I’ll do a soup and sandwich, depending on what their soups are today.”
Once Lara got flustered she found it hard to stop being flustered, something that she was sure Bo would take advantage of. But part of her wouldn't actually mind it. "Seventh Heaven does have some good food. But you don't need to see me stuffing my face." Dinner excepted of course.
She looked at the menu. "I've had the onion soup, it was pretty good last time. It shouldn't be too much of a problem on the dance floor."
Oh there would certainly be times when Bo would take advantage of it. But right now, she was going to approach it more carefully. While she was wanting to take advantage and make Lara flustered, she also didn’t want to scare her off. Or put her off. “Hey, you should see me stuffing my face. I totally don’t mind.” Bo had a very bad habit to eat when she was stressed. Or emotionally upset. Or just...in general. She tended to eat a lot.
“Oh really? That does sound good.” After selecting the sandwich she wanted, the waitress came over to take their orders. Bo went for the onion soup and a sandwich.
So did Lara. She ate a little nervously, not because she didn't want to look impolite but because she was thinking ahead. What dancing would be like. With Bo. Next to Bo. Against Bo. In these dresses which were far too thin for this weather what was she thinking!?
"Are you sure that would be okay with your employer? I'd hate to keep you distracted." Apparently Lara was thinking she wanted to flirt.
Bo was looking forward to the dancing. It was always thrilling to her to be on a dancefloor and just lose herself in the music and the movement of the bodies around her. However, she was also more than a little nervous for dancing with and against Lara. It had been several years since she’d gone dancing with someone, and with someone that she was taking a fancy to. So this would be interesting, to say the least.
“I’ll try not to be so distracted while she’s around. But when she’s not, I may be more than a little distracted.” Bo said with a flirtatious smile, ensuring to have swallowed the food in her mouth before speaking.
"I'll have to warn you. I haven't been on the dance floor in well over a year. I'm likely to step on your lovely toes." She touched Bo's hand, a blush creeping up on her face. "I'll have to keep that in mind."
She sat back, picking up her own sandwich. She wanted to rush through it but she didn't want to rush. Which made perfect sense inside her head. Lara always made sense.
“Thanks for the warning. Though I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Bo smiled at the touch of her hand. She liked it, and she was certainly coming to like Lara. “Good, I hope you will.” Flashing that rather trademark smile of hers, Bo finished off her soup, then turned to her sandwich. She was trying not to eat so fast that she would get a stomach ache, but she was itching to get on the dancefloor and get Lara dancing with her.
Lara was growing taken with Bo, which was actually terrifying. It was a different kind of terror then being stuck in a storm in the jungle while being hunted by a panther. No, Bo's smile pushed a series of buttons that made Lara's nerves jump to the fore. She'd been so withdrawn in university, and this was some new experience for her.
That thought turned into a really interesting story she told Bo while they ate. The rain, the mud, the jungle and the panther.
"She got me pretty good, near the end. That was about the time I decided I need to take a break."
This was also new territory for Bo. Or at least new for the past few years, anyway. Where she’d become accustomed to drifting from place to place, never staying long, she was already finding herself wanting to stay here. And that was frightening all on its own. But she was even more afraid of staying and having to eventually tell Lara she was living under a false identity. How would Lara take that? Could she take it as proof that Bo wouldn’t actually stick around? Probably, at least according to Bo’s fears.
But she turned all of that aside and was quickly enveloped into the story Lara told her. When she finished, Bo’s mouth dropped open a bit, and luckily she didn’t have any food in her mouth to embarrass herself with.
“Holy shit, claws or teeth? But man, I don’t blame you for realizing you needed a break after that! Are you alright now?”
“Mostly the claws. Hard to point it out here. It’s not the, ah, worst scar I have.” She seemed embarrassed at that fact. She worried she’d disgust or freak others out, not just the scars but her lifestyle. At least Bo seemed to like that part. But what happened when she found out about the dreams? How crazy Lara would sound. That Lara was insanely good with a bow and a gun?
She didn’t want to find out, and decided to worry about it later. She glanced outside. “Looks like the snow stopped for now.”
Bo blinked in surprise. “That’s not the worst scar you have?” She definitely wasn’t horrified or disgusted or anything of that sort. On the contrary, she was intrigued. “That must mean you have another amazing story to go with the worst scar.” Bo truly loved the adventure of Lara’s life. Perhaps a little because it was so different from her own life, but mostly because she had a love of adventure and danger.
And, well, Bo didn’t know it yet, but her own dreams would come with a lot of danger and crazy abilities. But she hadn’t started dreaming yet. But once she did, she would suddenly think her life here made a hell of a lot more sense than it currently did.
“Then it seems fortune is with us!” She smiled as she finished eating. “We should be able to get to the club without much trouble.”
“I’ve got this nasty puncture wound.” Lara gestured towards her stomach. “Long story. Maybe I’ll tell it sometime.” She had a brief mental picture of laying in bed, Bo caressing her skin and that scar, and shivered. Where had that come from? She nodded at Bo, then got up. “Well then. Lets split the tip and get moving shall we?”
Bloody Americans and their tips. Why couldn’t they pay their servers a decent wage?
“I’d love to hear it.” And she would. And that image was probably definitely something that would happen. If they got into bed together. Bo was the type to caress scars, even press kisses to them so long as it didn’t make the person with said scars uncomfortable.
“And I like the sound of the that.” Bo pulled out the money to cover her dinner and half of the tip. Which, she was the type to tip generously.
Healing kisses and touches would actually help Lara. She waited for Bo, then walked with her out to the Land Rover, eager to get back inside. She shivered. “Bloody cold, isn’t it. Maybe we should have worn more than we have.”
She glanced at Bo, expecting her to object to that idea. “Or perhaps not?”
She started the car, and peeled off into the snow. “Which way to the club?”
Bo pulled her coat tight around her when they got outside and headed to the car. “Yeah it is. Totally the opposite of the weather I expected to find here.” She tilted her head a bit. “Practicality says that we should have. But we’d just take it all off upon getting to the club anyway.”
She chuckled a bit, then got into the car. When asked about the club, Bo told Lara the name of the club and the address. Hey, she remembered the address without having to look it up again! Which she’d written on a piece of paper and put in the pocket of her coat if she’d forgotten. Luckily, she had a good memory.
"Maybe the snow followed you, since you're Canadian and all." Lara shifted the vehicle into a lower gear. "Practicality can bugger off, you only live once."
It wasn't a very far drive like Lara had predicted, and soon enough she was out of the car and staring at the entrance with trepidation in her feet and butterflies in her stomach. "Well then...after you?"
“It could have! In which case it can go the hell back to Canada.” Bo said with some amusement. “Yes, exactly. You only live once, so why not be adventurous sometimes?”
Upon arriving at the club, Bo saw the way Lara stared at the entrance. This time, she offered her arm to Lara with a smile. “It’ll be alright.” And if some douchebag tried to their hands on Lara, Bo wouldn’t hesitate to punch them in the face. Among other things if needed.
Not that Lara actually needed the help, and normally she wouldn't actually appreciate it, but she'd make an exception for Bo - and do the same thing for her.
"I do say that Adventure likes to find me," Lara replied, taking Bo's hand and letting her take the lead. It was always best to defer to another person's expertise in a situation one was uncomfortable with. If they were suddenly lost in the wilderness with wolves after them, well then it would be Lara's turn to impress.
Though one of her dreamselves was really smooth and a lot more cultured. The her if she'd let herself take her family money and go to the upper crust schools, she'd supposed. She wasn't sure she liked that Lara Croft. A woman who was dead inside and very lonely.
It was loud inside, so she leaned in close, breath warm on Bo's ear. "Lets skip the drinks?"
Lara’s hand in hers, Bo led the way inside, instantly feeling more alive once they got inside with the loud, pulsing music and the people. And yet even with all the other people, Bo really only saw Lara. Which was something Bo hadn’t experienced before, and it caught her a little off-guard.
She nodded, then leaned closer to Lara to be heard. “Definitely skipping the drinks.” This was not something Bo wanted to get a buzz for. While normally she’d take a few shots to start with, then get on the dancefloor once she had a good buzz going, she had no wish to go that route tonight. Her eyes scanned the crowded dancefloor, looking for a good place to slip in. Though she’d remain on the perimeter in the event the crowd was too much for Lara they could easily move away from the crowd.
“Ah! Here!” Bo said, then led the way to a spot she saw, weaving her way through people, still keeping hold of Lara’s hand before pulling her into the spot she’d seen. She turned to face Lara, a smile on her face as she started to tune herself into the beat of the music. It took only a couple moments, but Bo’s body moved in perfect sync to the beat.
Really, a beer might steady Lara's nerves but she was in a situation that was loud and she didn't want to risk lowering her reaction time. A large throng of people and the sound and she was gripping Bo's hand tightly as she was led through to the dance floor. She didn't want to make a scene, but she should have thought about what the noise and chaos would do to her.
Maybe the shots would be a good idea but then the last time she'd gotten snockered in a club had ended badly and that was before dream related PTSD.
Something she should tell Bo about eventually, but then Bo was being so considerate of the crowd and then she was dancing. Lara stared in awe for a moment, mind drawn away from the building panic. She started to move with her, a little out of synch at first, but quickly picking up the rhythm. She dimly realized Bo had managed to pull her out of a potential episode but then she was too distracted to worry about it.
Of course Bo had no idea about Lara’s PTSD. If she had, she definitely would not have convinced her to come here. But as it was, she was trying to be considerate. Just from their first conversation, Bo had wondered if Lara hadn’t liked the large crowds or something when going to clubs. So she’d picked a spot with an easy escape if it was needed.
However, she smiled as Lara started to dance, and shortly they were dancing in sync with each other and the music. Bo let everyone else fade into the background and focused on Lara. Of course, she was still aware of the people closest to them, but most of her attention was on Lara. So far so good. Bo shifted a little closer to Lara as she danced.
The escape was nice, something that Lara had noticed immediately. She had plans for escape if they needed it, but at the moment she was content to move to the music. No one was close enough to set off her alarms yet. It was enough to make her a little emotional - something that was so normal after everything she’d been through. She hadn’t realized she’d missed it until she was here. The panic faded to a slight buzz in the back of her mind as she danced closer to Bo. Her body brushed against the other woman’s and she brought her hands to Bo’s hips, entranced.
Feeling Lara’s body brush against hers made Bo’s breath catch in her throat. She licked her lips quickly as Lara’s hand settled at her hips. This was going to be interesting from here on out, but she kept telling herself to take things slow. She set her hands on Lara’s shoulders, body brushing against hers again.There was a growing urge to kiss Lara, but Bo was resisting that.
A shiver ran down Lara's spine, but she pressed in close instead of brushing Bo's hands away. The song had an energetic beat and her leg kept rubbing against Bo's, which felt alarmingly nice. She grinned at Bo, leaning in so she could hear her. "This is nice!"
Nice? Lara? This is nice? She mentally facepalmed.
Bo liked the feeling of Lara’s leg rubbing against hers. She had to keep herself in check, however, because of course it was sending her mind into some dirty places. But she didn’t want to move too fast. She’d already enjoyed the conversations she’d had with Lara, and definitely wanted more than just sex from her. So it would be trying to not make it look like she just wanted sex.
Which also fed into why she was trying to tone down the innuendo as well.
But she grinned at Lara, thinking it was utterly adorable what she said. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself!”
"I was a little nervous at first." One of Lara's hands moved to Bo's back, stroking lightly in time to the music. Someone bumped into her and she dug her (fortunately short)nails into Bo's skin, her hips pressing into the other woman's. She let out a breath. "I don't always do well in crowds, but you've... helped some how."
She was forgetting how to english. She was flush against Bo now with no real escape. The song that came on was the kind with a slow but sensual beat.
Bo felt the nails dig into her skin, but she didn’t flinch. Instead, she slid her arms around Lara’s shoulders, hoping to give her a better sense of grounding. Of course, the action resulted in their bodies being pressed against each other even more.
“If it gets to be too much, let me know, okay?” She certainly wasn’t wanting to keep Lara somewhere that made her uncomfortable. Though she smiled. “I’m happy that I’ve been able to help, though.”
Then the song changed, and she shifted her hold of Lara a bit, letting her hands trail down her back. She then started moving to the beat of the song, and her eyes locked onto Lara’s.
"It's hard to explain," Lara breathed. She let her body move with Bo's, feeling as though her skin was buzzing or electrified. Bo's smile brough one to her own face, but she couldn't tear her eyes away. She almost wished for an excuse to kiss her. She moved her hands up and down Bo's back, about as much as she thought was polite and no further than that.
Enough of her own back was exposed that it let her feel Bo's palms. She rolled her hips to the music as it's pace picked up a little.
She wasn’t going to make Lara try to explain it. At least not while they were dancing. That was more a conversation for when they were in private. So instead, she focused on dancing, the feel of Lara’s skin under her palms. The roll of her hips made Bo’s breath catch again, and she pulled Lara a bit closer to her again.
The urge to kiss Lara was only growing, especially with the mood change the song brought on. Her heart beat a bit faster in her chest as she gazed into Lara’s eyes. Her hips rolled to the music, and she did lean a little closer to Lara.
Lara's pulse was loud in her ears, her heart pounding and her breath much too short for the amount of exertion they were actually doing. She didn't want to be easy. She didn't have a problem with easy, but it was something new to her to be drawn to someone so quickly. Sam and Amanda. Bo. Maybe she had a type, but she wasn't even sure she had a type because all three were quite a bit different. Good conversationalists and they accepted her for who she was, maybe. And all three were great dancers.
But she really wanted to kiss Bo, or get some air. Or both, since there wasn't any space left between them and they might as well be dancing on the moon for all the people around them mattered. "Getting warm in here," she said, searching Bo's eyes with her own.
Bo had experienced instant attraction to people before, but this was something different. The attraction was definitely there, but there was far more behind it. She was trying not to be scared away by the difference her attraction to Lara posed, but she was also a bit intimidated by the difference in their life styles. Yes, Lara wasn’t the stereotypical rich person, and she frequently went out and got dirty doing her archaeology thing, but she was far more versed in the world than Bo was. Bo kind of felt like a stray animal, which wasn’t that far off the mark given she’d been lost since she’d ran away from home.
But right now in this moment, she wanted Lara, and she really wanted to kiss her. Or at the very least just hold her for a while. Which the dancing would allow, but she wouldn’t mind snuggling in front of a fire in a fireplace.
“Do you want to get some fresh air?” She asked, her eyes searching Lara’s. And god damn it she just wanted to kiss her.
Lara's life work was finding things that were lost, and if one of those things was a lost girl, then so be it. She nodded, her voice entirely too racy. "I think I need that."
The only downside would be separating herself from Bo, so she didn't actually start moving yet. Besides, another song had started and they couldn't leave in the middle of a song could they?
She had the strangest urge to run her hands below Bo's waist and squeeze and by some miracle she managed to refrain.
Bo nodded a bit, though she also didn’t quite want to pull away from Lara. And then another song started and she was still kind of lost in Lara’s eyes, which she found to be quite hypnotic. Or at least close to hypnotic.
Her hands slid back and forth along Lara’s lower back. She still just wanted to lean in and plant one on Lara’s lips, but she didn’t want to push things. Maybe she’d ask once they got some fresh air.
...or maybe that should be if they got some fresh air since neither of them seemed to be all that eager to move.
Their eyes were similar in color, though Lara's brown ran slightly towards the green end of the spectrum. She finally broke her mesmerized gaze, glancing around as the world seemed to assert itself back around them. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, then looked at Bo again and gestured with her head. She kept an arm around Bo and pushed through the crowd like a woman on a mission.
Outside, the temperature had dropped, and a wind was starting to pick up. The coldness was like a slap to the face and the Bo-induced fog in her head started to clear. Not entirely, but enough that she'd probably be able to drive safely. "...there might be a storm coming in. I can't rightly let you go home alone, so I suppose I'll have to take you back to my place."
It was fascinating to study the color of Lara’s eyes, so similar to her own, but Bo definitely had more of a mahogany hue to her eyes. However, as Lara began to move, Bo went with her, slightly shaking her head, but keeping an arm around her.
When they got outside, Bo shivered a bit at the change in temperature. It had certainly dropped and she glanced up at the sky, then she looked at Lara. “How could I say no to such chivalry?” Though Bo didn’t actually want to find out if her apartment could actually keep power, or even heat if a storm was rolling in. So she definitely wasn’t going to fight Lara on the matter. She’d rather be somewhere warm with someone she liked than stuck in her apartment alone.
Lara guided Bo through the snow and towards the Land Rover. She could feel some of her self-control wavering, and hoped she could make it back to her place without doing or saying something stupid. Like pin Bo to the car door and kiss her hard.
And Alistair not being home would be a fantastic thing, now that she thought about it.
She reached to open the door for Bo. "I was hoping you'd say yes."
While the jolt of cold air had helped to initially snap her out of the trance-like state she’d been in on the dancefloor, it had done next to nothing to alleviate the fact that she wanted to kiss Lara. But she was going to try to treat her with respect, and also try to respect herself by not flinging herself at her shamelessly.
Even if she just wanted to kiss her and feel her. And images of making out in front of a fireplace weren’t helping any either.
“Thank you for the offer,” she said with a smile as Lara went to open the car door for her.
Fuck it, Lara thought. She kissed Bo on the cheek, then opened the door for her and steadfastly pretended she hadn't just done that while helping her in. It wasn't just the cold making her cheeks red as she quickly crossed the front of the vehicle and got in. Start the car, start driving.
"I haven't danced like that in..." Ever.
Bo couldn’t help the smile when Lara kissed her cheek. And she saw that red as she moved around the front of the car. The smile was warm as she buckled herself in, then she looked over at Lara.
“I am glad that you enjoyed it. Perhaps we should do it again sometime.” Sometime in the future. After some time had elapsed considering she now knew that Lara didn’t always do well in crowds. She wasn’t going to push her luck there.
Nodding, Lara pulled out onto the street as snow began to fall. Bo remained a distraction in that dress, and she turned the heater down a little because it was suddenly too warm. "I'm not sure I need any excuses to see you again, but I'll take them."
Unfortunately, her house was somewhat far away and it was quickly obvious that this wasn't just a flurry. Visibility was virtually zero and Lara was having flashbacks to Tibet and Siberia. The Siberia one was troubling because that was a more recent dream and not one she cared to think about.
"This isn't good." She stopped the car, and shifted it into four-wheel drive.
“Then we’re on the same page because I don’t need excuses to see you again, either.” Bo said with a smile. And, well, she just wanted to be around Lara despite the insecurities and the worries she had.
But any of those thoughts faded once Bo realized how hard the snow was falling. It reminded her of blizzards back home in Canada, and it was definitely not good. Though she wasn’t going to panic, she felt as though she were in safe hands with Lara.
“No it isn’t. Reminds me of snow storms back in Canada.” She leaned forward to glance up at the sky through the windshield, though that did little good considering visibility was next to zero. “How far is your place from here?”
They both shared some of those insecurities, even if the worries might be a little different. Lara's hopes of snuggling in front of the fire place and having a nice snog chat were quickly becoming dashed. And she had books and artifacts to show off, too. "Another Four kilometers, maybe five. It's in Huntington Beach."
The rover suddenly hit some ice and spun out and into a snow bank. They weren't moving fast and it was like a slow motion spin, before the snowbank collapsed on top of them.
"Shit."
Hearing the distance and seeing how the snow was falling, Bo could easily tell they weren’t going to make it to Lara’s place. So there went any potential for snuggling in front of the fireplace. But it wasn’t the end of the world, she was still there with Lara, at least.
When the rover spun, Bo instinctively grabbed onto the armrest of the door. But at least it was in slow motion so there was less of her life flashing before her eyes and more of her thinking ‘oh shit’ and variations thereof.
And then they hit the snowbank, which promptly collapsed on the car. Bo kind of stared at the snow that was now on the windshield.
“Well. At least we’re together?” Bo said, opting for optimism as she looked over at Lara.
Survival mode on, Lara ran through a mental checklist. They couldn't keep the engine on indefinitely - the CO2 buildup underneath the rover would kill them. But they could at least keep it going while they sorted out what to do. She glanced at the back seat. "There are blankets under the seat, some rations and water. But we're going to have to get really cozy once I turn the engine off. I don't think anyone is going to be able to get out in this until the blizzard stops."
She looked at Bo, finally, and smiled at her. "We are. We'll be fine, I promise. I've weathered worse than this."
Bo also glanced to the backseat and nodded a bit. “I certainly don’t mind cozy. Especially under current circumstances.” The body heat would be good enough, she hoped. Even if the close proximity would do little to help the fact she did still want to kiss Lara.
She returned Lara’s smile. “I’ve had some experience, too. But I trust you.” Which she did. Otherwise if she hadn’t, she would’ve already tried to get out of the car and go find the nearest building to find shelter.
"Well this ought to be interesting." Lara set the parking break, for what little good that would do, and then kicked her shoes off and crawled over the seat. This was easier said than done in the dress she was wearing but she couldn't help that and Bo probably wouldn't mind. She pushed and pulled until the seat was down and she'd gotten the blankets freed. She cursed loudly at how constricting her dress was.
"Cut the engine, please, before you come back here."
“It’ll make for an interesting story to tell later?” Bo suggested. And then she watched as Lara attempted to crawl into the backseat. And, well, she didn’t mind the view, but she also didn’t look all that closely. After all, Lara had some dignity to maintain in this situation.
“Got it,” she said, waiting until Lara had the blankets freed and she was settled enough that Bo could crawl back there without turning this into a sudden game of twister. Awkward twister, rather. So once Lara was ready enough, Bo reached over and killed the engine. Slipping free of her shoes, it was her turn to navigate getting into the back seat. Which wasn’t easy in her dress, but she basically hiked the skirt up, moved to kneel on the seat she’d been sitting in, then crawled head first into the backseat. She undoubtedly provided Lara with a very lovely view of cleavage, of which Bo had quite a bit of, but finally she was in the backseat and sitting beside Lara.
It wasn't polite, but Lara found herself staring a little too closely as Bo climbed into the back with her. "How do you do that" It was a rhetorical question which wasn't meant to be asked aloud, but there it was, hanging in the air. She coughed to cover it up, then drew the blanket around them. She settled an arm around Bo's waist. "Not how I thought the night would go."
“Do what?” Bo asked, more teasing than actually wanting an answer. She already had a very good guess at what the answer would be, so she just let it slide. She shifted close to Lara, her own arm moving around Lara’s waist. “Yeah, kind more pictured a fireplace being involved. But I can’t completely argue because I’m still with you.”
And just as predicted, the close proximity now only made the urge to kiss Lara that much stronger.